


Hope

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: Yuma is a Girl [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Gen, Gender or Sex Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 13:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11968056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: Yuma tries to finally get through to Shark.





	Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Zexal rewrite that I started for Zexal month on tumblr--an AU in which, first and foremost, Yuma is a girl. Always a girl, born with a V, the whole nine yards. Why? Because the idea wouldn't leave me alone. So [I drew it](http://rainbow-galaxy-supernova.tumblr.com/post/164290621451/zexal-month-day-13-yuma-day-something-ive-been), and I started writing it, and I ran with it.
> 
> My rewrite of episodes 11-12

Yuma expects Tetsuo and Kotori to be mad at her. It’s fine, she knows losing on purpose was a mistake. She walks past them on Monday with her head down, and she silently takes her seat. At lunch she wanders the hallways until a hand lands on her shoulder and she jumps, turning to come face-to-face with Tetsuo.

“I don’t even care that you threw the duel,” Tetsuo tells her. “I’m mad because it did nothing but make you miserable. He may have been your friend, but do you think Shark lost any sleep over that duel? Look at you, you’re a mess. You’re stringing yourself out for someone who doesn’t even care.”

Yuma knocks his hand away. “He does care!” She hisses. “The Ryoga I know would lose sleep over that duel and it did do something!”

“Yeah?” Tetsuo asks. “Well he’s not Ryoga anymore, he’s Shark.”

“And he has no parents, no sister, and no friends to watch his back,” Yuma snaps. “I’m lucky, I have something, and goddamnit all if I don’t remind him that he’s got me, I’ll never forgive myself!”

“I hope you don’t die of sleep exhaustion before then,” Tetsuo snaps, and he stalks off.

“That would take at least six months!” Yuma yells after him, “I looked it up!”

Kotori ends up speaking to Yuma again by the end of the day, but neither of them talk about what happened during the duel. As they leave school, a lanky boy with a black eye runs up to Yuma.

“You’re one of Red’s girls, right?” He pants.

“Not anymore,” Yuma says.

“But you’re a friend of Shark?” The boy asks.

Yuma nods slowly and the boy grabs her arm. “They’re gonna do something to him, Rikuo and Kaio. Shark warned me off, he said he could handle himself, but I don’t think he can. They haven’t been the same since, since they found those cards.”

“Cards?!” Yuma asks, grabbing the boy by the shoulders. “What cards?”

“N-numbers something?” The boy says.

Astral materializes by Yuma’s shoulder. “If Shark is with two Numbers holders, it could indeed mean he’s out of his league.”

“Where are they going?” Yuma demands.

“The museum, tonight,” the boy says. “They’re planning a heist!”

Yuma curses under her breath and moves the guy over to Kotori. “Get this guy to the hospital, will you? I gotta go help him.”

“Yuma, wait!” Kotori yells.

“I failed Rio once already!” Yuma calls as she runs away, “I’m not going to fail her again by letting her brother get hurt!”

Yuma had seen the report of a new installation at the museum, she kind of figures that there’s no way a couple of thugs and Shark can get away with the treasure thievery, but she doesn’t trust the judgement of two guys possessed by Numbers either.

“What do numbers do to people’s heads?” Yuma asks Astral as she runs.

“They unleash their deepest fears and desires,” Astral answers, “And magnify them tenfold.”

“How come they don’t affect me?” Yuma asks.

“That is the question, isn’t it?” Astral says.

Yuma ends up at the museum, and she spots the trio of idiots not bothering to look inconspicuous in the least. She cups her hands around her mouth and screams, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

The three of them turn to look at her, and Rikuo and Kaio scowl while Shark looks like he wants to die.

“What’s Red’s pet doing here?” Kaio asks.

“I’m not Red’s pet,” Yuma snaps, “I’m Yuma, and I’m my own person. I know what you’re up to and I’m here to stop you.”

Rikuo laughs. “You and what army?”

“Who says I need an army?” Yuma asks. “I can take you on alone, I’m not afraid.” She stands with her arms folded. “Are you afraid of me?”

The two gang leaders laugh. “You’ll be easy pickings for us, girl,” Rikuo says with a leer. “We’ll destroy you.”

Yuma activates her duel disk, as do Rikuo and Kaio, but Shark steps out from behind them and crosses the gap between them and Yuma.

“Where are you going?” Rikuo demands.

Shark turns and give him a cold look. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of,” he says. “I draw the line at letting you hurt Yuma.”

Rikuo gives Shark a dismissive look. “Then you’re weaker than I thought.”

Shark activates his duel disk. “Actually, I’ve never felt stronger.”

Yuma almost wants to cry. There’s the boy she remembers.

 

 

“I can’t take much more of this,” Tetsuo says flatly, turning his back on Kotori. “I’m not watching Yuma jump in front of a bus for that guy.”

“She’s not—she’s just trying to be a good friend!” Kotori says, stomping her foot. “She was right the other day, neither of us would stop if it was Yuma who needed help!”

“Yuma would never be like Shark,” Tetsuo says.

Kotori lets out a scream of frustration. “She _was_ Shark!! I was there, I saw her! She was him and she came back, that’s why she’s so invested in him! And she needs us now!” She spins on her heel and marches off. “I’m going to go cheer Yuma on, and if you’re really her friend, you will too!”

Tetsuo hesitates for only five seconds before he groans and turns around. “Wait up!” he calls after Kotori.

 

 

Shark closes his eyes as Rikuo and Kaio taunt him about his disqualification from the championship duels.

“Oh my god, will you shut up?!” Yuma screeches. “Who cares if he was afraid of losing? Everyone is afraid of losing, isn’t that why you two have given yourselves to the Numbers cards? Even I’m afraid! I know what’s at stake, and…!” She breaks off, choking back sobs. “And I know that it was a mistake, and he regrets it every day of his life, because the last thing he wanted to do was let anyone down…”

Shark stares at Yuma in disbelief as she turns to him with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she gasps. “I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up anymore, but…you know she’s proud of you, right?” She sniffles, and gives him a shaky smile. “I think she’d be proud of both of us, right? Working together again, trying to do the right thing.”

Shark takes a deep breath, and he actually smiles. “Yeah…yeah I think she would be.”

Yuma looks over Shark’s shoulder and sees Kotori and Tetsuo running over. She smiles at them and waves. “Hey, look!” She shouts, “I finally got through his thick skull!”

“OYE!” Shark yells, and Kotori laughs and pumps her fist in the air.

“Way to go, Yuma!” She cheers. “I knew you could do it!”

Somehow, Yuma manages to get through the rest of the duel without crying. They win, she and Shark—Ryoga—they win together, and Yuma is so happy that even as their opponents are running away and Astral is absorbed in a new memory, Yuma has eyes only for Ryoga.

She’s doubled over, hands on her knees, but she looks up at Ryoga and smiles. “That was fun,” she says, tears spilling over once more.

“You cry too much,” Ryoga tells her.

Yuma sniffles. “I meant what I said.”

Ryoga glances down at his feet. “Yeah, I know. And…you’re right.”

Yuma sobs and launches herself at Ryoga, hugging him tightly. Ryoga pats her back, and Yuma hears Tetsuo say, “Jeez, he didn’t apologize, what’s the deal?”

Yuma takes a step back, wiping her cheeks, and she asks, “C-can we go see her? I haven’t been since…”

Ryoga even starts to look a little misty eyed. “Yeah. I’ll…find you after school tomorrow.”

Yuma is officially a blubbering mess, crying so hard that Kotori comes over and dabs at her face with tissues, and then she starts crying too. Yuma and Kotori sob on each other’s shoulders while Ryoga makes his escape, and Tetsuo announces that he doesn’t understand girls.

“I’ll be back to my salty self soon,” Yuma assures him.

Tetsuo shakes his head. “You’ve got snot on your chin.”

Yuma wipes her chin and shrieks when she realizes that he’s right. “Gross!” She whines, rubbing her face off on her vest. “Ugh, why am I such an ugly crier?”

“You’re an ugly everything,” Tetsuo says.

Yuma staggers to her feet and raises her fists. “Oh yeah? You w-wanna say that to my f-face?” She asks, shaking with a combination of sobs and laughter.

Tetsuo slings his arm over Yuma’s shoulders and puts her in a gentle headlock. “Brat,” he says.

“I’m older than you,” Yuma fires back.

Tetsuo lets Yuma go and helps Kotori to her feet.

“I still think Shark’s a jerk,” Tetsuo says. “He didn’t actually apologize to you, and he sped out of here real fast.”

Yuma shrugs. “Eh, he’s always been like that. He’ll get better.”

“If you say so,” Tetsuo says, handing Kotori more tissues. “Now how about we get out of here?”

Yuma nods, and she wraps one arm around Kotori’s waist and the other around Tetsuo’s back as the three of them make their way back to town. It’s funny, she used to walk with Rio and Ryoga like this, and where the thought once may have hurt her, now it makes her feel all soft and warm.


End file.
